Elastic Shoes For Cushioning Against Impact

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a shoe provided with an outsole including an anti-distorting portion formed to extend from a rear portion to a front portion of the outsole to prevent the shoe from distorting, a shock-absorbing portion disposed at the rear portion of the outsole to absorb the external force applied to the heel portion of the wearer&#39;s foot when landing, and an elasticity-enhancing portion disposed at the front portion of the outsole in order to supplement actuating force using elastic force when leaving the ground. The shoe is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent the shoe from distorting while actions of landing and leaving the ground are repeated, to decrease the shock of the maximum load applied to the heel portion of the wearer&#39;s foot, and to supplement the actuating force with elastic recovery force when advancing.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of pending International Patent Application PCT/KR2008/002263 filed on Apr. 22, 2008, which designates the United States and claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0017008 filed on Feb. 25, 2008, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an elastic shoe, and more particularly to a shock-decreasing elastic shoe which is resistant to distortion, can decrease shocks applied to the wearer's heels, and can give actuating force to wearer's feet when the wearer's feet start to leave the ground.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, shoes are used to cover the soles and tops of wearers' feet and thus protect the wearers' feet. When a wearer walks, a heel portion of one of the wearer's feet contacts the ground first, and thus the load of the wearer's weight is applied to the heel portion. Then, the load of the wearer's weight is applied to the middle portion of the sole of the wearer's foot, and finally the load is moved to a toe portion of the wearer's foot before the wearer's foot is separated from the ground.

In this manner, when the wearer's foot lands on and is separated from the ground repeatedly, strong shocks are continuously applied to the heel portion of the wearer's feet. For this reason, fatigue is accumulated in the wearer's feet, and the shock spreads to the wearer's ankles. As a result, there is a problem in that damage is likely caused to the wearer's muscles and bones.

In order to solve such a problem, Korean patent number 0566506 discloses a sole with an improved heel portion and a multipurpose shoe comprising the same.

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a sole with an improved heel portion and a shoe having the same sole and a shock-absorbing cushion. As shown in FIG. 1, the known shoe has a shock-absorbing structure which is appropriate for an improved heel portion 8 of a sole 7 and which shows the best performance. The sole 7 includes a mid-sole member 10, an outsole member 20, and a cushioning member 30. The mid-sole member 10 is a typical mid-sole made of polyurethane-based flexible and elastic material, and has a large thickness. The outsole member 20 is a typical outsole which is thin and is provided on the bottom of the mid-sole member 10. The outsole member 20 is made of synthetic rubber which has high friction with respect to the ground and has high abrasion resistance. The cushioning member 30 bonded between heel portions of the mid-sole member 10 and the outsole member 20 absorbs shocks by elastically responding to the weight of a wearer and the shock. The cushioning member 30 is made of polyester elastomer (for example, KOPEL, which is a brand of polyester elastomer made by Kolon Chemical Co., Ltd.).

The cushioning member 30 consists of an upper portion 31 and a lower portion 32, and has a space portion 33 between the upper portion 31 and the lower portion 32. The space portion 32 has a half-moon shape and is open at left and right sides of the cushioning member 30. The upper portion 31 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the heel of a wearer's foot. That is, the upper portion 31 is mostly flat, or gently curved. The lower portion 32 is curved so as to be able to conform to the ground contact surface 9 of the improved heel portion.

The outsole member 20, bonded to the bottom surface of the mid-sole member 10, is removed, and therefore the ground contact surface of the heel portion of the cushioning member 30 is curved. The cushioning member 30 is embedded in the heel portion of the shoe, or is bonded to the bottom surface of the heel portion of the shoe.

The known shoe is advantageous in that it is possible to maintain the stability of a landing action. However, since the load is concentrated on the same portion of the shoe while the wearer repeatedly lands on and leaves the ground, the overall form, the groove portion, and the heel portion of the shoe are likely to distort. Further, since the shoe does not generate proper actuating force, it is not easy for the wearer to leave the ground. Moreover, it is difficult to appropriately absorb shocks when the maximum load is applied to the heel portion of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is conceived in order to solve the above-mentioned problems with the known technique, and an object of the invention is to provide a shock-decreasing elastic shoe the overall shape of which is prevented from distorting while a wearer lands and leaves the ground repeatedly, can absorb shocks applied to the heel portions of a wearer's feet, and shows improved actuating force thanks to elastic recovery force acting in an upward vertical direction, using the elastic force of a leaf spring and deformable penetration holes.

In order to achieve the above objects of the invention, there is provided a shock-decreasing elastic shoe provided with an outsole including an anti-distorting portion formed to extend from a rear end portion to a front end portion of an upper surface to the outsole in order to prevent the form of a shoe from distorting when a wearer's foot lands on and is separated from the ground, a shock-absorbing portion installed at a rear portion of the outsole to absorb external force applied to a wearer's heel when the wearer's foot lands on the ground, and an elasticity-enhancing portion installed at a front portion of the outsole to enhance the actuating force needed for walking using elastic force.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the anti-distorting portion be a leaf spring having an arch shape.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the leaf spring consist of a rear leaf spring which is attached to the upper surface of the outsole and which has a width smaller than the length thereof, and a lift-assisting leaf spring formed to extend from the rear leaf spring and curved from a groove portion formed at a midway position of the shoe to the front end of the shoe, the lift-assisting leaf spring providing an elastic reaction force with respect to a load.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the leaf spring be made of steel.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the shock-absorbing portion be in the form of a pad having a predetermined height.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the shock-absorbing portion be made of polyurethane or EVA.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the shock-absorbing portion have a hardness of 30 A to 40 A.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the elasticity-enhancing portion include an elastic member having a plurality of deformable penetration holes extending in a width direction, terminating at left and right sides of the elastic member, and arranged in the length direction of the elastic member, and a lift-assisting leaf spring formed to extend from a midway position of the upper surface of the outsole to the front end portion so as to generate elastic recovery force.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that a mid-sole having the shock-absorbing portion and the elastic member therein be provided on the upper surface of the outsole.

In the shock-decreasing elastic shoe, it is preferable that the mid-sole have a penetration hole, in which the elastic member is inserted, in a front portion thereof, and a receiving portion, which is a convex portion formed at a rear bottom portion thereof, to receive the shock-absorbing portion therein.

As described above, the shoe according to the invention is advantageous in that it is possible to prevent a shoe from distorting while landing and leaving the ground repeatedly and it is possible to decrease the maximum shock applied to the heel portion of the shoe.

The shoe according to the invention can supplement the actuating force needed to move forward when leaving the ground using elastic recovery force.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating an outsole having an improved heel portion, and a shoe provided with a cushioning portion for absorbing shocks;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a shock-decreasing shoe according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a shock-decreasing shoe according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 shows sectional views illustrating actions of (a) landing, (b) supporting, and (c) leaving the ground in the state in which the shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to one embodiment of the invention is worn.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS OF KEY ELEMENTS IN THE DRAWINGS

-   -   10: Outsole     -   12: Groove     -   20: Upper     -   30: Insole     -   40: Front sole member     -   50: Rear sole member     -   100: Anti-distorting portion     -   110: Lift-assisting leaf spring     -   120: Rear leaf spring     -   200: Elasticity-enhancing portion     -   300: Shock-absorbing portion     -   310: Elastic member     -   312: Deformable penetration hole     -   400: Mid-sole     -   410: Open portion     -   420: Receiving portion

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to one embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to one embodiment of the invention.

Here, an outsole 10 contacting the ground, an upper 20 covering the top of a wearer's foot, and an insole 30 contacting the sole of the wearer's foot are provided according to known techniques. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the outsole 10, the upper 20, and the insole 30 will be omitted.

Under the insole 30, a front sole member 40 made of cloth and a rear sole member 40 made of unwoven fabric are formed between the insole 30 and a mid-sole 400, and intermediate the insole 30 and the mid-sole 300.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the shoe according to the invention consists of an anti-distorting portion 100, a shock-absorbing portion 200, and an elasticity-enhancing portion 300, and may selectively include a mid-sole 400.

First, the anti-distorting portion 100 will be described. The anti-distorting portion 100 is a leaf spring and has a width smaller than the length thereof. The anti-distorting portion 100 consists of a rear leaf spring 120 and a lift-assisting leaf spring 110.

The rear leaf spring 120 has an arch shape formed to correspond to the contour of a heel portion of the wearer's foot. The rear leaf spring 120 is inclined upward at a portion closer to a groove portion 12 of the outsole 10.

The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is inclined upward from the groove portion 12 of the outsole 10 and extends to the rear portion of the outsole 10 to be connected with the rear leaf spring 120. Since the groove portion 12 is more likely to distort than the other portions, the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is not aligned with the rear leaf spring 120. The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is curved down from the groove portion 12 to the front end portion of the shoe and then extends flat to the front end of the outsole.

In the groove portion 12, which is more severely distorted by a load which is not distributed, the anti-distorting portion 100 plays an important role. The anti-distorting portion 100 has a form by which the distortion of the shoe can be prevented.

The anti-distorting portion 100 may have various forms. That is, the anti-distorting portion 100 has a plate shape having the form of a straight line, the letter “U”, or the number “8”.

The shock-absorbing portion 200 can have a variety of forms, as long as the form covers the heel portion of the shoe, and the shock-absorbing portion 200 has a pad shape having a predetermined thickness.

A rear part of the shock-absorbing portion 200 has an arch shape, curved like the contour of the heel portion of the shoe, and a front part of the shock-absorbing portion 200 has a straight line shape. The sides of the shock-absorbing portion 200 may have an oblique line shape.

The shock-absorbing portion 200 has a hardness of 30 A to 40 A and is made of elastic material having low elasticity, such as polyurethane or EVA. The shock-absorbing portion 200 has a height such that it is possible to decrease the shock applied to the heel portion of the wearer's foot when landing on the ground, that is, sufficient to exhibit a cushioning property.

The elasticity-enhancing portion 300 consists of the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and the elastic member 310.

The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 has the same width as the rear leaf spring 120 and extends to the front portion of the shoe via a middle portion of the shoe. Since the groove portion 12 of the outsole 10 protrudes further than the rear portion of the shoe, the height of the shoe is greater at the groove portion 12 than at the rear portion. Accordingly, the groove portion 12 of the shoe is formed at a higher position and the front portion (toe portion) of the shoe is formed at a relatively lower position.

The sole of the shoe is curved up and down so as to correspond to the sole of the wearer's foot. Accordingly, if the load of the wearer's weight is first applied to the groove portion 12 of the shoe first and transferred to the front portion of the shoe when leaving the ground, the load in a vertical direction is applied to the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 in a downward vertical direction, and therefore the elastic recovery force acts in an upward vertical direction. Accordingly, when the elastic reaction force of the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is applied in the upward vertical direction, the actuating force needed for separating the wearer's foot from the ground and advancing the wearer's foot forward is generated.

The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is formed so as to serve as the anti-distorting portion 100 and to provide the wearer's foot with an upwardly acting force needed to separate the wearer's foot from the ground and advance the wearer's foot forward by forming the elastic reaction force.

The elastic member 310 is longer in the longitudinal direction than the shock-absorbing portion 200. In the elastic member 310, a plurality of deformable penetration holes 312 which extend in the width direction of the elastic member 310 is arranged in a length direction. The deformable penetration holes 312 contract when the elastic member 310 is pressed in a downward direction. Then, the deformable penetration holes 312 expand to recover the original shape thereof when the pressure applied to the elastic member is removed. At this time, the inner pressure in the deformable penetration holes 312 is increased, and thus the elastic reaction force acting in an upward direction is generated. Thanks to the elastic reaction force, the wearer can separate his or her foot with less power. That is, the wearer can be provided with the actuating force needed to moving forward when walking.

The elastic member 310 is made of a material having low electricity. The elastic member 310 decreases shocks when the wearer's foot is separated from the ground and generates an elastic reaction force by the action of the deformable penetration holes 312.

That is, the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and the deformable penetration holes 312 of the elastic member 310 can show the actuating force needed to leave the ground, and the actuating force is helpful to provide an elastic force for actions of landing, supporting, and leaving the ground.

The elastic shoe according to the invention may further include the mid-sole 400.

The mid-sole 400 is disposed on the leaf spring consisting of the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and the rear leaf spring 120.

The mid-sole 400 has a receiving portion 420 in the rear bottom portion thereof, so that the receiving portion 420 receives the shock-absorbing portion 200 therein. The mid-sole 400 has a large penetration hole 410, which penetrates the mid-sole 400 in a vertical direction, at a front portion thereof. The elastic member 310 is engaged with the mid-sole by being inserted into the penetration hole 410.

To the bottom surface of the mid-sole 400, provided with the shock absorbing portion 200 and the elastic member 310, the leaf spring is attached. Accordingly, the shoe can reduce shocks using the shock-absorbing portion 200 during the landing action and generate actuating force by the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and the elastic reaction force generated by the deformable penetration holes 312, so that the wearer can walk with less power.

Hereinafter, how the shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to the invention, which includes the anti-distorting portion 100, the shock-absorbing portion 200, and the elasticity-enhancing portion 300, operates with the aid of the external force will be described.

FIG. 4 shows (a) landing, (b) supporting, and (c) ground-leaving stages of the shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to one embodiment of the invention.

As shown in the diagram (a) of FIG. 4, during a rolling motion of walking, a load is transferred from a heel portion to a toe portion of a shoe. That is, when walking, the heel portion of the shoe lands on the ground first and the maximum load is applied to the heel portion of a wearer's foot. Next, the load is transferred to the toe portion of the wearer's foot, and the heel portion of the wearer's foot is moved upward to obtain the actuating force. Finally, the toe portion of the wearer's foot contacts the ground, and thus the wearer can move forward with the actuating force.

For landing on the ground in this way, the shock-absorbing portion 200 is made of polyurethane or EVA, which is a low-electricity material and has a shape corresponding to the heel of the wearer's foot. The shock-absorbing portion is made in a shape such that it is possible to absorb the maximum external force applied to the heel of the wearer's foot so that the ankles and joints of knees are protected and muscles are not damaged.

The shock-absorbing portion 200 has a predetermined thickness, which is thicker than the elasticity-enhancing portion 300 to absorb external shocks since it receives a stronger external force than the elasticity-enhancing portion 300. The shock-absorbing portion 200 may have a hardness of 30 to 40 A.

The shock-absorbing portion 200 can absorb the external shocks applied in a downward vertical direction to the wearer's foot via the heel portion of the shoe when landing on the ground, and can exhibit a cushioning property because it is made of low elasticity material.

As shown in the diagram (b) of FIG. 4, the diagram (b) shows the stage in which the load is transferred to the front portion of the shoe, that is, the stage (b) in between the landing and leaving stages. The anti-distorting portion 100 is made to prevent the shoe from distorting due to an unevenly transferred load.

Further, the load is also transferred to the rear portion of the elasticity-enhancing portion 300, and the deformable penetration holes 312 are formed to be long in the width direction and to terminate at both sides of the shoe. Accordingly, the deformable penetration holes 312 contract due to the load transferred from the rear portion of the shoe.

The diagram (c) of FIG. 4 shows the stage in which pressure is applied to the front portion of the sole of the wearer's foot to leave the ground. At this time, in the elasticity-enhancing portion 300, the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and the elastic member 310 are contracted by the external force applied in a downward vertical direction, and the elastic force acts in an upward vertical direction when leaving the ground. Accordingly, the wearer can reduce the force required to leave the ground.

The deformable penetration holes 312 in the elastic member 310 are long in the width direction of the shoe and are arranged in the length direction of the shoe. Accordingly, it is possible to distribute the force over the entire sole of the shoe from the rear portion to the front portion.

The through holes 312 are long in the width direction and terminate at both sides of the elastic member to respond to the force which is simultaneously transferred in left and right directions of the shoe. The elastic reaction force affects the actuating force required for walking, and it helps the wearer of the shoes move forward easily.

In conclusion, the elasticity-enhancing portion 300 gives the actuating force to the wearer's foot by the reaction force generated when the deformable penetration holes 312 contract and expand while the load applied in a downward vertical direction is transferred by the landing, supporting, and ground-leaving actions of the wearer's foot.

The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is curved along the groove portion 12. The lift-assisting leaf spring 110 is curved to protrude further than the rear leaf spring 120. Accordingly, the load transferred from the heel portion of the shoe acts to generate elastic reaction force when force acting in a downward vertical direction is applied to the lift-assisting leaf spring 110 and thus provides the wearer's foot with the actuating force needed to leave the ground. Accordingly, the wearer can move forward with less power when walking, thanks to the actuating force.

The features and advantages of the invention are broadly described to help people better understand the invention. Further, it will be obvious that people ordinarily skilled in the art can use the disclosed concept and embodiments of the invention as a basis on which to make modifications to the invention or design other structures used for achieving objects similar to those of the invention.

The concept and embodiments described above can be used as a basic concept to design other structures used to achieve the same objects as the invention. Modifications, changes, and equivalents made by people ordinarily skilled in the art may fall within the scope of the claims as long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A shock-decreasing elastic shoe having an outsole, comprising: an anti-distorting portion extending from a rear portion to a front portion of an upper surface of the outsole in order to prevent a shoe from distorting by landing and ground-leaving actions which are repeatedly performed; a shock-absorbing portion disposed at a rear portion of the outsole in order to absorb external force applied to a heel portion of a wearer's foot when landing; and an elasticity-enhancing portion disposed at a front portion of the outsole in order to enhance actuating force for walking by using elastic force when leaving a ground.
 2. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the anti-distorting portion is a leaf spring having an arch shape.
 3. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 2, wherein the leaf spring includes a rear leaf spring which is attached to the upper surface of the outsole and has a plate shape having a width smaller than a length thereof, and a lift-assisting leaf spring which is formed to extend from the rear leaf spring and is curved from a groove which is in a midway position of the shoe to the front portion so as to generate elastic reaction force using a load of a wearer's weight.
 4. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 2, wherein the leaf spring is made of steel.
 5. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing portion has a pad shape having a predetermined height.
 6. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing portion is made of polyurethane or EVA.
 7. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the shock-absorbing portion has a hardness of 30 A to 40 A.
 8. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 1, wherein the elasticity-enhancing portion includes an elastic member provided with a plurality of deformable penetration holes which are formed to penetrate through a body of the elastic member in a width direction and to terminate at left and right side ends of the body of the elastic member, and which are arranged in a length direction of the body of the elastic member, and a lift-assisting leaf spring formed to extend from a midway portion of the upper surface to the front portion of the outsole to generate elastic recovery force.
 9. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 8, further comprising a mid-sole receiving the shock-absorbing portion and the elastic member, the mid-sole being provided on the outsole.
 10. The shock-decreasing elastic shoe according to claim 9, wherein the mid-sole has a penetration hole, in which the elastic member is inserted, in a front portion thereof and a receiving portion, which is concave, in a rear bottom portion. 